Accidental Anarchy
by AprilLudgateKarateDwyer
Summary: Following the events of Ragnarok: Marley Ferguson is a forensic sketch artist for the NYPD. After nearly colliding with a mysterious stranger on the street, she realizes that she has drawn him before and decides to follow him, launching her life into a maelstrom of chaos she never expected. (Loki x OC) (Thor x Valkyrie)
1. Prologue

_A/N: This is my first uploaded story in a long while, so please be gentle with me! I saw Thor: Ragnarok yesterday and somehow this came to life. I have a few ideas for the first few chapters, but I'm not really sure where this is going/how it's going to end. Anyways, the prologue was inspired by the fact that Odin was originally supposed to be a hobo hobbling around New York predicting the end of the world in Ragnarok, and as terrible as that is I thought it was kind of hilarious. Enjoy!_

* * *

A bit of moonlight shone through the office window, and after a moment, was the only source of light in the room. On the opposite side of the office, a woman began frantically waving her arms to trigger the motion sensors, grunting in exasperation. Marley looked up from her computer as Janice, the office secretary, snorted herself awake and sat up with a start. If Marley weren't so damn tired herself, she would have smirked at the confused expression on her face, but unfortunately, she was still here too, and her mind was too fried to appreciate humor right now.

"Wha- Marley, what the hell are you still doing here?" Janice rubbed her eyes, looking around for her keys.

"I'm almost done with this." Marley droned, not looking away from her computer. She was almost positive she would be seeing the maimed corpse on the screen in her sleep; she always did after a long project.

"Alright, psycho; I'm going home." Janice declared, standing up. When Marley did not acknowledge this, she stomped her foot a little. "You know, that person will still be dead tomorrow, right? There's no real reason to be doing this all night, it's kinda spooky, ya know."

"I know, but I'm really close to finishing." The secretary walked over to Marley's computer and cringed when she saw what was on the screen. Part of her job as a forensic artist involved looking at remains like these and making a sort of model of what they would look like if they were still alive. It had been a little gross to her at first, but after two years, it had become just a part of the job. Definitely not her favorite part, though.

"Okay, it's," Janice checked her watch, "one thirty-two AM, and I'm going home. If you're just going to be wasting away up here, I need you to lock up or I'm going to lock you inside. Just as well though, work starts in like six hours. Although, you can't borrow any of my makeup when you're trying to get rid of the bags under your eyes tomorrow. And I know for a _fact_ that John will be clocking in tomorrow-"

Marley looked up with a small smile. "Janice, are you going home or not?"

The woman huffed something under her breath that Marley didn't hear, then started marching towards the elevator. This left Marley to turn back to her work, occasionally throwing something across the room to reactivate the motion sensors. Around thirty minutes later, she was done, and a model of what those remains might have looked like was complete. Satisfied, Marley looked up from her computer, but when she did she let out a shriek of surprise. A homeless-looking old man was staring back at her. Even stranger given the fact that he only had one eye.

"I am sorry child, I had not wished to frighten you." he rasped, and Marley internally cursed Janice for not locking up like she had threatened to. She looked him over for any visible weapons, but she did not find any. If she was being honest with herself, he didn't look very threatening, despite the fact that he had gotten onto the floor she was working on. Although, if he had some sort of weird vendetta or was a murderer, he did a good job of concealing it.

"Sir, you're going to have to come back during business hours, I was just about to leave." Marley said as pleasantly as she dared, but to her annoyance, the old man sat down in the chair opposite her desk. "Really, I can't help you right now. I can call someone for you if you need me to, but I really need to get home." When she stood up, he gestured for her to sit back down, and a spark of fury flared up inside of Marley; not because he had told her what to do, but because something inside her wanted to obey. And something about the way his one eye seemed to see right through her put her on edge. "Who are you?"

"A sentimental old fool in need of an artist's help."

As much as Marley wanted to ignore him and go back to her apartment, she couldn't. "What is it that you want?"

"I want you to draw my two sons."

"Are they missing?"

"No."

Marley narrowed her eyes. Maybe this man wasn't perceptive and he was just crazy. "Sir, I do forensic sketches, I don't know what you had in mind or what it is that you-"

"Please." A flash of vulnerability, then it was gone. "I may never see them again."

"Don't you have any pictures of them?"

"I'm afraid not."

Marley let out a sigh before plopping back down in her seat, deciding not to question these impossibly bizarre circumstances for the time being. She dug out a sheet of paper and a few different types of pencils before looking back towards the man. "Can I get your name?"

Rather than give up his name, the stranger began describing his sons. "My firstborn," he tapped the paper, as if asking her to do something with the information 'my firstborn'. "A proud fellow, always keeps his head high. A bit of a broad face and a square chin-"

"Sir, I have samples of different facial features you can look through and match up to what your sons look like-"

"That won't be necessary. You are a real artist, are you not?" Marley was beyond unamused, but she was already committed at this point. And somehow this man knew that she couldn't resist a challenge. So she listen to the old man describe his first son down to the last detail, her hand working furiously to keep up with his words. Marley almost didn't realize that he had stopped talking as she finished up the sketch. When he said nothing, she held it up to him.

"Like this?" There it was, that vulnerability that was gone before anyone could notice it. The old man offered her a nod, taking the drawing gently out of her hand. Marley could swear she had seen the son before, but she couldn't place where. Nowhere in real life; perhaps a TV show. She didn't have time to ponder it as the stranger launched into the description of the second son. _Shit, there were two._

"My second born could not look more different. He has high cheekbones, and his eyebrows are always furrowed with some sort of thought, eyes always squinted…" Before long, she had finished the second sketch. Now _this_ man she was absolutely certain she had seen before. She stared at his face, trying to place it. All of a sudden it hit her with the force of a train: _this was Loki, the man who launched a terrorist attack on New York a few years ago._ As realization dawned on her face, the old man allowed for a small smile, still looking sickeningly perceptive. "You probably think me mad."

"Um...yeah." For lack of a better word. Finally, all the questions on her mind spilled out messily. "Who are you really? Why did you have me do this? Why are you here so late at night? These men aren't really your sons, are they? This is Loki, and that's Thor; he was in New York too, wasn't he? Is this some sort of sick joke?" She could only stare as he chuckled a bit.

"I have already told you; I'm an old man who misses his sons." He reached out his palm for the second drawing, but Marley held it close, wanting leverage for at least one answer.

"What's your name?"

"Odin."

Marley blinked at him, now completely convinced he was mad. She gave him back the Loki sketch before shaking her head and pulling her coat on. "Well, have a nice evening, 'Odin'."

"Many thanks, child." He pulled a golden coin out of his pocket and placed it on her desk. Marley eyed him before picking up the coin and inspecting it. It was not a currency she had ever seen, but it looked extremely valuable.

"What's-" When she looked up again, he was gone.


	2. Chapter 1

It had would be two years before something so absolutely bizarre happened to Marley again. Today, the streets of New York were packed to capacity as usual. For once, she wasn't in a particular hurry to go anywhere. That was to say, she wasn't in a hurry to go anywhere yet. Marley had told Paul she would meet him at three and it was- she checked her watch- only one thirty; she had time to spare. As she walked aimlessly down the street, she couldn't help but notice that the New Yorkers looked like ants; most of them clad in a black coat and scurrying past at a brisk pace. Part of her felt a sort of internal pulse that was yearning to join in the hurried frenzy of the streets despite how much she enjoyed taking her time. Marley didn't have time to think it over because she felt her phone buzzing in her pocket. The screen read 'Stitches'.

 _Elena._ A nurse at the New York-Presbyterian Hospital and Marley's best friend. The nickname Stitches had arisen from one of Marley's favorite gross-out medical stories that Elena had told her. A man had returned to the hospital complaining that the area that had been stitched up was swelling, and it was. Elena had pictures that proved it was the size of a tennis ball and completely red. When they reopened the wound, it turned out a spider had lodged itself in when it was open and had laid eggs since. Despite Marley's own grim line of work, it was possibly the grossest thing she had ever heard about.

The moment she took the call, Elena's excited voice rang out over the line and Marley smiled. "Mars, I have the grossest story to ever grace this hospital."

"Does it beat stitches?"

Elena snorted over the line. "Nothing beats stitches and you know it; do you want to hear this or not?"

Marley rolled her eyes. "Lay it on me." She cringed and laughed as Elena told the story, not minding the stream of people flowing around her. It was almost amusing that she was such a nuisance to the people around her by doing something as simple as walking slowly on the sidewalk. Just as Elena began explaining that a patient had actual maggots in some unsavory places, she felt a light tap on her shoulder. "Hang on, Elena." Marley turned around to see a man that she did not recognize.

"Sorry, do you know how to get to Central Park from here?" The stranger was wearing a gray jacket and had close-cut, choppy hair; but the most noticeable thing about him was his odd accent that sounded especially out of place on the streets of New York. Next to him stood a woman clad in a blue dress and a leather jacket that did not look all that thrilled to be there.

Marley nodded. "You know where Times Square is, right?" The dumbfounded look on his face answered her question. "Wow, you really are new, aren't you?"

The question had been meant to be good-natured, but it seemed to amuse the cross-armed woman. You have no idea." Meanwhile, Marley squinted at the man until the woman irritably took notice. "Well, do you know how to get there or not?"

"Sorry, do I know you from somewhere?" It was on the tip of her tongue, but she couldn't quite recall. The blonde man opened his mouth to say something, but after a critical look from his cohort seemed to revise what he was going to say.

"No; I don't think so." Marley decided to drop it; with luck, she would remember later.

"Just have that kind of face, I guess. Anyways, keep going down this street, then take a right and follow that to Times Square. Once you get there, go down Fifth Avenue until you hit Central Park West, and you're there."

The same dumbfounded look flashed upon the man's face, but the woman seemed confident in her own memory. "Got it."

"Thank you, Madam." The man flashed her a toothy grin that was infectious enough for her to stare at him as she began to walk away.

"No problem-" She did not make it very far like this, though; she stopped just in time before walking right into another person. Startled and slightly embarrassed, Marley's hand brushed the man's wrist as she mumbled an apology. As soon as their eyes met, she couldn't look away. Everything about this stranger was enticing, down to the very last detail, but nothing quite like the emerald green gaze that seemed to swallow her. On the whole, it made her self-conscious enough to wish that she had done a bit more with her hair today than pile it into a sloppy mess atop her head. Marley's mind was going a mile a minute as she walked around him without breaking the connection. The way he looked down at her to size her up made the hairs on her neck stand up; for a quick moment, she forgot where she was.

It was only when she forced herself to look away and continue walking before she ran into someone else did she realize that this man was Loki. The terrorist Loki, the one that had caused her to spend a day in a half cramped in the basement of her apartment with her neighbors, all huddled around a TV watching the chaos unfold. The man that had ironically kick-started her career; she still vividly remembered shaken victims trying to describe bits and pieces of the tyrant that had barely escaped from.

With shaky hands, Marley brought her phone back to her ear. "Hey, I'm gonna have to call you back." She hung up before Elena could respond. Before a plan had really formulated in Marley's mind, she was briskly walking down the sidewalk in the direction she had just pointed them in. She knew she at least had to keep an eye on them before she could figure out exactly what to do. Who did one call in this situation? She had lived in New York long enough to know that the police would not take her seriously; that this string of events could so easily be brushed off as a prank call. As far as everyone knew, Loki was not a threat any more. How could he be when he was locked up somewhere in another dimension? But here he was, roaming the streets of New York plain as day, yet no one seemed to notice.

So Marley followed them as closely as she dared. After a few blocks, it was evident it had not been close enough. She had trailed the three all the way to Central Park, all the while looking for signs of anything out of the ordinary, say, a giant portal opening in the sky. So far so good. With a jolt, she realized that the blond man beside Loki must be Thor, and she scolded herself for not seeing past a simple haircut. When she got to Central Park, it happened so fast that she was convinced that she missed it. One moment they were there; the next moment, the three had vanished entirely. Marley pulled her scarf tighter and chanced walking over, not stopping at the spot they had disappeared. They had left no trace, not an inkling of anything that might have hinted where they had gone.

In fact, it was like they had never been there at all.

* * *

Marley had eventually been forced to accept defeat. She had completely missed her lunch date with Paul, but given everything that had happened, she couldn't be bothered. Racing back to her apartment, she had torn through her dresser, pulling out scarves and shirts and coats until she reached what she so desperately needed to see: the gold coin.

It was clear to her that this was real gold; enough of it to make a flat token that took up most of her palm. The engravings were exotic, something she couldn't identify. She often dug it up to prove to herself that she wasn't insane, and she needed it now more than ever. That was the reason she hadn't dared sell it, despite how valuable it looked- she needed some way to prove to herself that she didn't just have some sort of hallucinatory dream that night.

And a small part of her, however naive and fanatical she knew it was, wanted to have been gifted a treasure by Odin himself.

Marley cursed the little trinket. She had wasted a perfectly good day off- the first half chasing around a potential terrorist and now the second half staring at a coin. _So much for relaxation._

After apologizing haphazardly to Paul for blowing him off completely, she agreed to meet up with him later that evening. She didn't really have the money to go clubbing right now, but Paul was paying and she could use a drink. So she showered got herself dressed in real clothes, then subconsciously slipped the coin into her pocket before leaving her apartment. It was still technically her day off, so she tried to walk slowly in order to take in the sights. New York at night was certainly a spectacle, but it was also freezing, so Marley pulled her coat a bit tighter.

If she had not stopped to admire a Five Guys billboard, of all things, she would have missed it. A glint of reflected green light caught her eye, and she spotted Loki for the second time in one day.

Determined not to lose him this time, she jogged to catch up to where he strutted along the sidewalk with the same people as earlier. She was nowhere near as stealthy as she had tried to be last time; her heels clacked along the pavement and she almost got hit by a taxi in her struggle. When she finally caught up to the group of three, she was out of breath and struggling to make herself blend in a bit more as she followed them, putting at least two people between her and Loki.

Unbeknownst to Marley, it was too late.

As she watched Loki and his cohorts cross the street, she felt someone grab her by the elbow and yank her back into a closeby alley. She opened her mouth to yell, but before she could, a hand clamped down on her face. Thinking fast, she used her one free arm to reach back and jab the aggressor sharply in the eyes. With a surprised yelp, he let go of her other arm and Marley was able to wrench herself free. She tried to run, but was almost dragged backwards and off of her feet before she got two steps in. Realizing she couldn't run, she whipped around, swinging her fist towards the aggressor's face. He ducked just in time, then pinned her against the alley wall.

Marley was face to face with Loki, and it was not as enticing as it had been earlier today; it was downright terrifying.

"Why were you following us?" he hissed. Marley opened her mouth to deny it, but somehow, even when her life might be on the line, her own curiosity got the better of her.

"How- you were crossing the street; how are you in two places at once?! And why are you in New York?" Her mother had not raised her to be this stupid, but here she was, mouthing off to a terrorist. "Every news station in America spent half a year talking about how you were locked away somewhere-"

"I am well aware of my history with this planet, and I'm afraid I'll be asking the questions. Who are you with? The police? SHIELD? I know they have rats sniffing around-"

"What are you _doing_ , Lackey!?" Thor and the woman had charged around the corner.

"Brother, scaring the wits out of mortals is not keeping a low profile!"

"Well, screaming the word 'mortals' at the top of your lungs isn't exactly subtle, either."

"I told you we should have left him with the others." scoffed the woman, pursing her lips in disapproval.

Loki sneered at her. "Don't tell me you're not the slightest bit concerned about this. This woman clearly recognized us. If you would just allow me do a simple cloaking spell, no one else would see-"

"Yes, but you already got away with one of those today, didn't you?" Thor pinched the bridge of his nose. "You know I'm not the one making the rules here."

Marley squirmed in Loki's grasp. Her initial panic was gone now that Thor was here, but it still did nothing to answer the stream of questions that poured out of her mouth. "Who _is_ making the rules? Why are you all here? If there are others-"

Loki turned towards Thor. "I don't know as much about mortals as you. There wouldn't happen to be an off switch, would there?"

"This isn't a time for your jokes." Thor said sternly, then turned towards Marley apologetically. "I'm sorry Miss, my brother can get carried away sometimes."

"A bit." Marley remarked, still uncomfortably pressed against the wall. Loki shot her a dirty look.

"Loki, release her." He angrily opened his mouth to argue, but before he said anything, something seemed to catch his eye. Marley followed his gave down to her foot, right to the gold coin that must have escaped her pocket in her struggle to get away. His grip on her forearms fell away as he bent down and snatched the bit of gold off of the ground and held it up in the dim light of the alley. Marley saw both Thor and the woman's expression change from annoyance to complete shock. One minute she had been released, the next Loki held her against the wall once more, his eyes piercing into her with the same intensity as earlier.

"Where did you get this?"

* * *

 _A/N: I have so much homework I should be doing but I decided to update this instead. Oh well. Friendly reminder that I live for your reviews, and a thank you to everyone who liked/followed this story; it means the world to me!_


	3. Chapter 2

_A/N: Here's this (kind of short) chapter for you! Once again I should be doing AP Lang homework but once again I don't want to. Also, I'd like to say that I know that the Raven's Eye is a thing in the comics and I honestly don't know if it has any significance in mythology. I really just needed a name for my artifact thingy, and that seemed pretty fitting. Anyways, thanks for overlooking that. Enjoy!_

* * *

"Where did you get this?" Loki repeated, his grip tightening on Marley's arms until his knuckles turned white.

"I...inherited it. From my grandfather. And I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't get your grubby fingerprints all over it, it's very valuable to me." As Marley feebly struggled against Loki's grasp, she felt an unexplainable urge to protect this gold coin, or at the very least make sure that it didn't fall into Loki's hands.

"I won't ask you again." Loki's voice had maintained a deadly quiet, and Marley almost wished he would yell at her; at least then she would have some semblance of normality. For now, she tried to maintain the image of being indignant. She could see Thor struggling with himself, clearly uncertain about the way Loki was treating her, but the woman was holding him back. The way Marley saw it, she just had to survive Loki's interrogation long enough for Thor to get sick of it and intervene somehow.

"And I won't _tell_ you again; I got that from my grandfather. I'm sorry I followed you, but in my defense, you weren't exactly blending in."

As soon as the words left her mouth, a wicked grin spread across Loki's face, and out of the corner of her eye Marley could see that Thor looked extremely wary. "I was hoping it would come to this."

"Come to _what_ , exac-" Before she could say anything else, Loki's cool palm was pressed against her temple. Immediately, Loki, Thor, and the woman faded away, and she was looking down on herself.

 _What the hell…_

Somewhere in the back of her mind it registered that this was her own memory. She saw Odin come into her office, request the drawings, and leave the coin like it was happening all over again, only in third person. As soon as her hand touched the token on the desk, she felt a surging rush of energy, and when she opened her eyes, Loki was back, looking confused as ever despite his smirk.

Marley was left with a slight throbbing in her head and the feeling that she had been violated in a strange way. The fact that this god had gotten into her head so easily made her extremely uneasy. "What the fuck _was_ that?! I don't know how Asgard works, but here you can't just go around invading people's-"

"Well? Was it him?" The leather-clad woman uncrossed her arms and put her hands on her hips, leaning forward eagerly.

Loki rolled his eyes. "Patience, Val. I have a few more questions for our guest."

" _Guest_?" Marley snorted. "You treat all your guests like this?"

A hint of amusion crossed Loki's face, but it was gone soon as he spoke again. "Only the ones who think it wise to lie to me. Now, why-"

"Why did Odin give this to you?" Loki narrowed his eyes as Thor interrupted him. Marley was beginning to understand that this was typical.

"I have no idea, I was kind of hoping you all would know. Suppose you want it back, right?"

"It would probably be for the best. The Raven's Eye contains power that no mortal has ever successfully possessed-"

"You're just going to let her walk away when there is even the slightest chance she could wield it?" Loki whipped around to face his brother, his face reflecting disbelief. Marley rubbed her arms, thankful for the distraction and having half the mind to run. She knew that she should, but she wanted some damn answers. "Think of what this could do for us. I don't know why in Hel Odin left it to her, but it might have been for us to find."

"It's too dangerous; we don't know if she can handle-"

"Hande _what_ , exactly? This 'raven eye thing'- what sort of power does it have that's dangerous enough for me to give up? Oh my god, I've been keeping this thing in my dresser this whole time! I thought it was just a coin, what in the world does it actually do? Was that old man actually Odin?"

"Maybe if you stopped talking long enough for one of us to speak, you would get some explanation." Loki suggested with raised eyebrows. Marley glowered at him.

"Alright, I'm shutting up." she held up her hands in mock defense. "Explain away."

"Look, er..." It was a moment before Marley realized that Thor was waiting for her name.

"Marley." After a slight pause, she added, "Ferguson."

"Look, Marley; We can't answer all of your questions here and it just so happens that we need a place to stay. If you grant us maybe a night or two in your apartment, we'll answer all of your questions. I can't promise we'll let you keep the Eye when it's all said and done, though-"

"Why not?"

"Because it doesn't belong to you." Loki snapped, and Marley could tell that Odin giving this 'Raven's Eye' to her was stinging him. Hmm.

"Technically, it does. Odin left it to me, you saw so yourself." Marley let herself grin smugly when she saw Loki's eye twitch.

Thor must have taken notice too, because he hastily put a hand on his brother's shoulder and turned to Marley. "All will be explained later if you grant us a place to stay."

This left Marley a bit at war with herself. On one hand, these people were complete strangers, strangers that she would have to manage to fit into her studio apartment. And for all she knew, this could be a very elaborate murder plot. For the love of god- or gods, in this case- one was an actual known murderer. As her eyes shifted from the bit of gold in Loki's hand to his face, Marley saw that his eyes still looked bitter, but he was still sizing her up for something that she didn't understand. And Marley was dying to know what. Everything inside her head was screaming at her to say no and to run as far away as possible, and she wanted so desperately to listen to her own intuition. But there was a part of her that she didn't completely recognize that urged her to take this chance.

And the simple truth was she wanted answers bad enough to do something stupid.

"Alright, fine. One or two nights, then you're out. Okay?"

"Good choice, kid." Val nodded, smiling in a way that looked closer to smirking.

Thor grinned widely, grasping her hand and shaking it enthusiastically. "Thank you, Marley. You won't regret this." She offered him a small smile, then caught sight of Loki, who wore an expression that she could not quite place.

"I'd better not."

* * *

Loki watched as the mortal woman struggled to jam her key into the door's lock. For something so trivial, she was making it look extremely difficult. Once she got the door open, he was the last inside.

"Home sweet home." Marley deadpanned, throwing her keys onto the counter. Loki looked around, taking in the very messy sight. There was a mountain of dirty clothes spilling out of the laundry basket next to her bed and half-done sketches flooding the coffee table in the middle of the apartment. The walls were covered in paintings, which Loki assumed that Marley had done herself given the eisel next to the fridge. It wasn't entirely hideous; it looked messy in a graceful sort of way.

"This place is a dump." Loki commented, picking up one of the sketches on the table to examine.

"Thank you, I decorated it myself. I can get you all something to drink- if you're into that sort of thing."

" _Finally_." Val had taken a seat on the sofa, but she shot up at the mention of drinks. "I knew I liked you."

Marley laughed a bit, and Loki caught himself staring once more. Her laugh was deeper and clearer than most of the women he knew, and despite her eyes being dark instead of blue, the way that they crinkled reminded him of Frigga when she had laughed.

"It's probably not as strong as what you all are used to, from what I hear."

"Anything is better than nothing." The Valkyrie said resolutely. Marley pulled out four brown bottles and handed them out in turn. Loki watched Val eye hers with disdain, and he could tell she was wishing for something a bit larger. They all drank in silence for a moment, until it was broken by Val finishing her drink. "Are you sure this contains alcohol?"

"Last time I checked." Marley smiled. "I don't drink much at my place; I can't afford the good stuff."

"Shame. Where does one get something stronger?"

"There's a place down on Fifth that has flaming shots, but I can't take you there unless Paul invites me- _shit_." Marley smacked her palm to her forehead, cursing herself. In all of this madness, she had completely forgotten her night out with Paul, and she had the feeling that ignoring him twice in one day, however intentional or unintentional, would not go over well. The three Asgardians shared looks between themselves, and Marley rushed to change the subject. "Anyways, we're in the apartment I promised-"

"Yes, it's very nice." Thor said pleasantly.

"Thank you. Now," Marley sat forward in her seat slightly, "someone start explaining."


	4. Chapter 3

_A/N: I'm so sorry for the long wait on this chapter! It was kind of hard to write because so much of the plot revolves around it and I didn't want to screw it up. Oh well. Idk when I will be able to get the next chapter up, but it will most likely be faster than this one took. Chapterly reminder that I love reviews. Enjoy!_

"What is it that you want to know?" Thor asked.

Before Marley could even open her mouth, Loki interrupted her impending questions. "One question at a time."

"Fine. First question: why are you all in New York?"

"A matter of circumstances." Loki leaned against the wall, quietly sipping at the beer in his hands.

Thor sighed and scratched the back of his head. "It's a long story, really."

"Let me remind you that I've got all night." Marley took a seat on a bar stool, crossing her arms and looking expectantly at the Asgardians in front of her. She would pry this information out of them if it killed her.

"Suppose you do. Well, it will sound kind of ridiculous-"

Val, looking rather impatient, finally spoke over them both. "Oh for Odin's sake- all of Asgard was destroyed, so we and the rest of the population got on a ship; there was a bit of a complication, it crashed here on Earth. So we came to New York to work out the kinks with SHIELD-"

"SHIELD is gone; _Captain fucking America_ and that Romanov lady exposed that operation for what it was-"

"You can't see what's right under your nose, can you?" Loki remarked, and Marley could tell by the smug look on his face that he had her pegged as in imbecile. Maybe she was, but she couldn't afford to let him or his friends think that.

"I saw you, didn't I?" She felt a bit of pride to see the smirk falter. "So SHIELD is back- or, its still here- and you're trying to convince them to let you all stay?"

"Right, only they aren't too keen about our little visit." said Loki delicately, to which Val snorted and shot him a nasty look.

"Three guesses why."

"Bottom line is," Thor interjected, "our ship crashed in a place called Indiana and it's still there with most of our people onboard. The three of us came to meet with some people in suits and they don't want us here, but we don't have anywhere else to go, so we left while they 'contemplate our current state of affairs'. That's why we needed a place to stay."

"So they just kicked you guys to the streets without a place to stay? I mean, what about your people?" Despite her misgivings about the Asgardians, Marley couldn't help but feel sorry for them. Now she could see the vulnerability that Odin had shown in flashes displayed clearly on Thor's face, and it was clear to her that he was desperate. Loki and Val were more skilled at concealing their emotions, but when she looked closer, she could tell that they were just as exhausted. There was an overwhelming feeling pushing at her to fight for these people she had just met. "Actually, there's been a lot of this sort of thing going on in the country at the moment."

After a beat of silence, she decided to change the subject. "Anyways, now you have to tell me what this-" Marley searched around in her coat pocket for the coin, and felt her heart skip a beat when she didn't feel it. It took her a moment for her to look up and realized that Loki had it between his fingers, the smug look in full-force.

"As I said: right under your nose."

Marley's eyes narrowed and she let out an exaggerated sigh, crossing her arms and tapping her foot impatiently. She knew she looked like a toddler about to throw a fit when she did this, but right now that didn't seem relevant. "So what is that thing?"

Loki looked almost pained by her phrasing. "That _thing_ is the Raven's Eye, an artifact of significant power passed down in the Asgardian throne for generations."

"Then what am _I_ doing with it? Odin gave it to me, but the last time I checked, I wasn't Asgardian."

"And you're _not_ Asgardian," Thor assured, sensing her slight panic, "Only, we don't know why Odin left it to you."

"Why don't you ask- oh." It only then occurred to Marley, judging by the looks on Thor and Loki's faces, that Odin wasn't still alive. She had always imagined that he was still in New York somewhere, popping in and out of place like a kind of angel. As silly as it sounded, it was a blow to hear that he was gone.

"He has quite the knack for disappearing when people need him most." A dark, knowing look passed over Loki's face

Marley raised an eyebrow, but did not inquire further about Odin. "So, what does it do- the Raven's Eye?"

"Well, nothing, if you're you."

Marley rolled her eyes for a prolonged second. "Well, if I _was_ Asgardian, what would it do?"

"It's like a mind reading, magic sort of thing." Thor wiggled his fingers for effect and Val smirked.

Loki's indignant expression made it hard not to laugh. "It isn't as trivial as 'mind reading', as my dear brother puts it, but that is essentially what it is. It's a sort of key that grants you access to a person's thoughts and memories, but only if you know how to wield it." His eyes settled on the drawings that cluttered her coffee table and looked to be turning something over in his mind.

Marley, by nature, was skeptical, and this would seem too good to be true to anyone with a brain in their head. Then again, there were aliens sitting on her couch, so go figure. "So, you could teach me how to use it?"

"Possibly."

"Absolutely _not_." Thor said immediately, knowing the look on his brother's face always meant trouble. "We don't know if it would work; we can't just risk her life; it could end in catastrophe." His mind appeared to be set.

"Oh come on; I thought you were the optimistic one." Val chimed in.

"I'm not saying I need to learn how to use it, I just want to know why it's so damn important, and if it is, why Odin would give it to me."

"It would be a tad easier to explain if the library containing all of our knowledge wasn't completely obliterated the other day and Odin was still alive."

"Well would it kill you to _try_ -" There was a knock on the door. Marley shot the three Asgardians a warning look, but it was not needed. She blinked, and when her eyes were open, they were suddenly unrecognizable to her. Val was now an old hag; Thor a scrawny, acne-ridden ginger; and Loki could only be described as someone who looked very similar to Leonardo DiCaprio.

"Seriously?" Val asked, her voice now scraggly and hoarse.

Marley hastily turned to all of them. "Try not to be," she flailed her hand around, looking for the right word, "abnormal."

"Wouldn't dream of it."

When Marley opened the door, she couldn't say she was surprised to see Paul standing there.

"I was worried _sick_!" He barged in, promptly hugged her, and then held her at arm's length, looking at her in his critical way. "Where the hell have you been!? I must've called you about seven times!"

"I'm fine, Paul, really." Marley assured, mentally kicking herself for forgetting to cancel on him. Again.

Marley had been dating Paul Fretz for what felt like ages. Her mother had introduced them, back when she was in one of her good moods, and they had hit it off pretty well. It was only when they began dating that Marley began to see the qualities that people had warned her about. Still, as far as naive mistakes go, a hot man with a small fortune was nothing to complain about. When his eyes landed on the three strangers on the couch, they narrowed in suspicion. "Who are _they_?"

"My coworkers. This is Valerie, Thomas, and Logan." Marley lied smoothly.

Paul gave them each a short nod, then hissed to Marley in a not-so-subtle way, " _Why are they here?_ "

"We were working on a case late."

"You never work late on Saturdays." He ran a hand through his gel-slicked hair, and Marley's eye was beginning to twitch.

"Well I am on this one. I'm very sorry I forgot to call you, but I put my phone aside to focus on this case. We need to get back to work, but I'll call you tomorrow."

Paul's gaze clearly said, 'will you?'

"I promise." Marley rolled her eyes and started shoving him out the door. Paul eyed Loki-or Logan, in this case- with suspicion. Loki stared right back, his expression taunting, and Marley wanted to walk over and slap the look off his face. She settled for glaring at him. Before she knew what was happening, Paul had turned her back around and embraced her in a passionate kiss that she knew arose out of jealousy.

"I'll see you tomorrow." he asserted, then left.

When Marley turned back to the Asgardians, who now looked like themselves again, they all wore smirks on their faces, and she suddenly felt very self-conscious and was vaguely aware of swinging her arms back and forth. "Probably time for bed."

"That's what he seemed to think." Loki sneered, and Marley sighed. This was going to be a hell of a few days.


	5. Chapter 4

The universe was conspiring against Marley, that much she knew. After everything that had happened that day, she had been awakened by the hideous buzz of a phone call around one in the morning. On top of that, she had been forced to take it due to the unfortunate fact that she couldn't ignore work calls. Marley had taken it out into the hallway in order to not disturb her new 'guests', still rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

"Janice? Why are you calling so," she yawned, "early?"

Then Terrance, the senile old man that lives across the hall, had waddled out of his apartment. Marley and the old coot had a fierce rivalry that (evidently) did not take time off in the wee hours of the night.

So while Terrance was yammering something about her "slutty pajamas" and "if _I_ were ever this disrespectful in my youth", Janice was yammering something about work at the same time.

This left Marley no choice but to put her hand over her phone and hiss,"of course, because you are the fucking _golden standard_ of respect" and march down the stairs barefoot in the freezing New York cold. Mornings did not suit her well under normal circumstances, but this was something else. As soon as she put some distance between herself and Terrance, she walked out onto the fire escape and sat down, her legs dangling over the street below.

"What did you say? And why are you working so late?" The city was glowing with hazy lights despite the late hour, and she could hear the hum of an electric sign across the street despite how much she was trying to focus on the call.

"Some guy says he saw Loki today." _Now_ Marley was awake. "You know, the alien one, the one that-"

"I know who he is. Why didn't you call about this earlier?"

"Well, Mr. Wells said I couldn't tell you yet. See, I wasn't really supposed to know about it myself, but I heard him talking in a real panicked way. I went to investigate and overheard that he was trying to downplay some panicked witness that was having _quite_ the episode-"

"Is there any way we can talk about this tomorrow? I'm sure it was nothing, Loki is locked up somewhere in space. And I'll be back at seven sharp, so bossman can tell me about it then anyways. Okay?" It broke Marley's heart to brush aside some hysterical witness like this, but not as much as it terrified her to come to the realization of the potential consequences of harboring a terrorist in her apartment. As if the outdoors could sense the conflict brewing inside of her, she felt the lash of sudden raindrops across her cheek and flinched.

"I don't know Marley, I saw the guy. He was really scared, and I know you would believe-"

"I really gotta go, Janice. Don't worry. I'll see you tomorrow." Marley hung up before she could feel worse. By the time she had gotten off the fire escape and trudged back to her apartment, she was chilled to the bone. Despite only been in the rain a few seconds, her blonde hair was now a dripping brown and plastered to her face.

Being as tired and freezing and lost in her thoughts as she was, she forgot that she had company.

"Up late, are we?" Marley must have jumped a foot in the air while Loki sat on the couch and snickered.

"You are too."

"Yes, but I don't look like I just jumped off the Bifrost."

Marley sat down at her creaky wooden table and put her head in her hands. "If I pretend to understand what you just said, will you go back to sleep?"

"No." Both Thor and Val's snores echoed through the small apartment.

Marley lifted her head up to glare at him. "Do you know why I had to wake up and take that phone call?"

"Do tell." The uninterested look in his eyes make her hands curl into fists. Didn't he know how much she was risking for them?

"Someone at work called to tell me that someone saw you today."

 _That_ got his attention, and he leaned forward the tiniest bit. "And what did you say?"

"I told them I'd deal with it tomorrow, but that isn't the point! I saw you vanish in the park yesterday, and then disguise yourself as a completely different person. Why not do that when people can see you?"

Loki exhaled and took a long pause before he spoke again. "Remember when my brother said he wasn't making the rules?"

Marley nodded.

"Well, that's because we're playing SHIELD's game now. We aren't politicians, and we need their help if we're going to openly convince Midgardians to let us stay here. One of their conditions was for me to give up my illusions for the time being, and Thor has always been a stickler for the rules."

"Well that doesn't seem so bad. Given that…"

"That they could have locked me away in a cage if they wanted to? We got away before that could be arranged." Loki chuckled darkly.

Marley tried to pass off the shiver going down her spine as being cold. "Yeah, that." After waiting out the silence, she felt the need to do or say something. "Want some tea?"

Loki nodded once, and Marley was set to work. The silence was intrusive and awkward, but invited nonetheless. Every time Marley talked to Loki she felt like she was somehow walking right into a trap, one that she didn't know how to escape, so maybe silence was the better option. Once she had place a cup of tea in front of Loki and one inside her own hands, she decided to try again anyways. "So why are you up so early?"

Loki took a sip before answering. "To show you how to use this." He didn't have to hold up the coin for Marley to know what he was talking about.

Despite her suspicion, an overwhelming wave of curiosity overtook her. "So show me."

She could have sworn the corners or Loki's mouth twitched when she answered. "This might not work due to the fact that Odin was dull enough to leave the Eye in the hands of-"

"-A mortal." Marley rolled her eyes. "I know, you've covered that. Are you going to teach me or not?" She couldn't explain her eagerness to learn; it was sort of instinctive.

Loki tossed her the coin and she traced her thumb over the ridges. It felt different than before, now that she knew of its power. Or rather, had a vague, intriguing idea of its power.

"I've only read about the Eye, so I only have a rough understanding." Loki forewarned.

"And the book was blown up in whatever killed Asgard?"

"Yes, the entire library was destroyed." The sadness in his eyes was almost tangible before he shook his head and got back on track. "Now, close your eyes."

Marley shot him a look that clearly said 'don't try anything' before closing her eyes.

"Decide on a friend. A good friend, family member, anyone who you know and can picture well. And it would help if they weren't asleep."

Marley was going to assume that Loki was not referring to himself, given that he said a friend and she hadn't known him more than half a day. The only person she knew that might be awake at this hour was Terrance or Janice, both who she knew well enough. She decided to go with Terrance, because she could still hear _Fox News_ cranked up to the maximum volume from across the hall, and there was no way anyone could sleep through that. "Okay, now what?"

"Hold onto the Eye and picture their face. Every detail. Shape, skin color, eye color, every line or freckle needs to be in your mind." Marley mentally went through every one of Terrance's crotchety old facial features the way she would if she was drawing him. She was fairly certain that she was as close as she would get to seeing Terrance in her mind, but nothing was happening.

"Now what?"

"You look like you're going to implode. Try to relax, or it won't work."

Marley tried and failed to relax, still concentrating as hard as she could, but after a few minutes she finally sighed roughly and opened her eyes. "This is stupid."

"Yes, it is stupid to be wasting all this precious time if you aren't even going to try." Loki snapped. Marley glowered at him and snapped her eyes shut again. "While you're picturing the person, try not to look so angry. Relax. What relaxes you?"

"Oh you know, warm sand and blue skies and _not being snapped at by alien at two in the morning_." She could hear Loki exhale and then curse Odin under his breath.

"Just...picture your person, okay?" His voice was still strained, but it wasn't as impatient. "While you're doing that, just...let go of the tension, especially in your shoulders. Breath." Despite the fact that Marley wanted to make fun of him for sounding like a yoga instructor, she actively tried to relax.

Eventually, something felt different. She could feel her own pulse the whole time, but now something was strange and offbeat somehow. The offbeat great stronger and louder, and soon it felt like she had two pulses, the new one overpowering and constricting the other.

Marley had never felt anything so terrifying in her life.

"Is- is this supposed to happen?" She asked anxiously, using all of her willpower not to open her eyes.

"Yes, you're almost there." He encouraged, his voice sounding hopeful.

"What's happening? What's going to happen?" The second pulse faded slightly as she talked and grew more panicked. How could she have been so stupid?

"You'll be alright, I promise, just calm down." Loki said frantically.

Marley took in several deep breaths and the pulse grew louder again. Louder and louder, until she was sure it was the loudest sound she had ever heard. The thumping wouldn't stop no matter how much she told herself to keep breathing and be brave. When she tried to ask Loki what the hell was going on, she couldn't hear her own voice. She should have listened to Thor, this was too dangerous for her. She wasn't extraordinary, just a naive girl that decided to trust a murderer.

 _Nothing is worth this._

Marley's eyes snapped open. Only they weren't Marley's eyes. She was looking through the half-open eyes of someone else.

Someone who happened to be staring at a TV with Fox News cranked up to the max volume.

Marley could see everything Terrance did: his dingy apartment, the clothes he was folding neatly, and the television across from him. She could hear everything he did, and was now just as deaf as she strained to hear the loud TV and the faintest hum of the heater. Worst of all these wonders, she felt every lone thought that went through his mind, still while maintaining her own. Terrance's mind was messy; he listened to the television while thinking about tomorrow's laundry and maybe calling his son. Marley willed him to get off his ass and do something, but it soon became clear she did not possess the power of mind control.

 _Stupid old bat._

After a while like this Marley started panicking. What if she couldn't get out and she was stuck being Terrance forever? As soon as that hideous thought crossed her mind, Terrance's thoughts started to fade, like she was trying to hear them from underwater. Before she knew it she could no longer hear anything except a faint ringing. Even his vision began to get fuzzy.

Marley's last thought before she was overwhelmed by the darkness clouding her senses was wondering if this was what dying felt like.


	6. Chapter 5

_A/N: (Loki voice) Surpriiiiise._

 _Yeah I realize I haven't updated in what, 5 months? But I'm on break now so I actually have time! (And I need a way to curve IW depression so we're just gonna pretend that mess never happened, okay? Okay.) Please drop a review!_

* * *

Loki watched as Marley slowly opened her eyes. When she had closed them they'd been a warm hazel, but now they were a pale blue. He smirked to himself, taking a moment to revel in his success. He hadn't been sure if the Midgardian in front of him would be able to even begin to channel the power of the Eye, but it had been at least a minute since she had begun and she hadn't lost consciousness.

Now there was just the question of whether or not she'd survive, and the thought of her dying made him cringe.

Not that Loki was worried about _her_ , per se, rather the power that would be lost if she perished. The Raven's Eye had been passed down for generations of Kings, so the fact that it was in the hands of a mortal was concerning. If she didn't willingly pass it down before she died, the power would die with her. Maybe that was why the Allfather had left it to her, of all creatures.

All of a sudden, Marley seized up, her hands turning to fists, and Loki knew she was struggling to hold on to whoever's consciousness she was infiltrating at the moment. When her eyes began to close, Loki swiftly got up and caught her before she hit the ground when she passed out; he could not risk waking Thor. Unfortunately for him, Valkyrie was not as heavy a sleeper.

"Is she drunk, or are you in trouble?" Val asked, tossing a knife from hand to hand nonchalantly. Before Loki even had a chance to respond, the warrior kicked Thor awake.

Awake might be too strong a word. Thor rolled over in his sleeping bag, mumbling, " _Ow_ , you _dare_ attack-"

"Get up, we've got trouble." Val insisted, still nudging him with her boot.

After a moment he sat up, scratching his head and groaning. "Right, what is it _this_ time?"

"What do _you_ think?" Val pointed towards where Loki was holding Marley, who was still very much unconscious with the color draining out of her face. Loki, meanwhile, was beginning to panic. Yes, she was alive, but for how much longer?

"Loki, what have you done?!" Thor growled, grabbing Marley from him. When a few quick shakes wouldn't do it, he gently set her down and turned back to Loki, who had now put a few extra feet of distance between himself and his brother. "I asked you not to do one thing, _one thing_!"

"Yes, but I might be able to _un_ do it if you gave me the chance."

"And why should I? SHIELD has already been very clear that we'd only be given _one_ chance, and you completely wasted it on a grab for power!" Loki could swear Thor's eyes had the slightest glow about them, and the _last_ thing they needed at the moment was for Thor to blow up this puny apartment.

"Well imagine how many chances we'd have left if she were dead." he speculated. "If you think about it, healing her would be a good deed on my part-"

"Just do it!" Val groaned, opening and then slamming the fridge shut, muttering something remorseful about the drinks she had left on the ship for when she got back.

Loki knelt down next to Marley and placed his hand on her forehead. He had only one real idea of what to do, since this wasn't a common ailment like a sickness or a stab wound and he was testing it on a mortal. As soon as he started, the censor on his wrist put in place to alert SHIELD of any 'misbehaviors' started chirping throughout the otherwise silent room The luminescent green light flowing from his fingers seemed to be soaking into her forehead for a few minutes while Thor and Val looked on anxiously.

After some time of watching Marley's face for any signs of movement, everyone in the room jumped as her eyes shot open and she sat up all at once, taking in a breath like she was emerging from underwater. They watched as her irises slowly returned from the pale blue back to their normal hazel.

"W...what...was…. _that?_ " She gasped.. Loki honestly couldn't tell if she looked scared or exhilarated, which he supposed was a good sign.

"A success." Loki grinned. "For someone with no prior experience with magic and a midgardian bloodline, you did abnormally well. I have an idea that might make the second attempt less-"

"No, no no no, there isn't going to _be_ a second attempt!" Thor snapped, shoving his brother out of the way and helping Marley onto the couch. "I am sorry Marley, my brother gets these ideas in his head-"

"Something you'd know nothing about." Loki sneered, picking himself up.

"Who is it that's risking our arses so that _you_ have a place here too? Do you know how much simpler this would be if you weren't here-"

" _Hey_! Imbeciles, we know you're going to kiss and make up in a few minutes, so can you just skip to that part?" Val demanded, and after a moment her eyes trailed to Thor. "You've got a little something…" she gestured to his right eye, where his eyepatch was visible again. Upon the agreement with SHIELD, Loki had already been holding up the glamour for Thor's eye so that he would look 'less threatening', and as much as Thor wanted to abide by the rules, he had made an exception for that slip of magic. Loki realised he must have gotten distracted enough in all the excitement that he dropped it by accident, which was….odd.

Thor slapped a hand over his patch and glared at Loki with his one eye. "That's low, even for you."

"Aw, is the lord of thunder feeling a little self-conscious?" Val grinned.

" _God_ of thunder, and you're one to talk, _Brunnhilde_." If anyone else had dare address her with her real name, they would be dead or at least close to death, but for Thor she settled on holding a dagger to his throat.

When Marley spoke again, it was quiet enough that Loki almost missed it underneath all of Thor and Val's squabbling. "It was like there was a parasite inside of me- like…"

"Like a seperate heartbeat?" Loki questioned, and she nodded.

"A separate heartbeat, but then there was only one and it was the _other_ one." she said bitterly, hugging her knees and trying to recall everything that had happened. "Then I got sucked into Terrance's sad old brain and I don't really remember much after that." Marley couldn't decide if she wanted to try again or whether she wanted to chuck that cursed coin off the building.

"That was all to be expected. What was _unexpected_ was how long you lasted, but never you worry. Next time, I'm going to find a way for you to get out before you die."

"Who says there's going to be a next t- wait, I _died_?"

"Almost." Loki shrugged, and Marley put her face in her hands.

"Do you understand how things work here? Normally, if you almost die doing something, you tend to not want to do that thing again."

Loki didn't appreciate being talked down to; that being said, he needed her to stick with this if he was to one day gain the Eye. "Then what's wrong with you, I wonder?"

Marley's eyes widened and then narrowed, her ears growing red. She picked up the relic and threw it at Loki as hard as she could, hoping it would wipe the smug look off his face. The fact that he caught it with ease made it less satisfying. "Here, keep the stupid thing, if you want it so badly. I don't want any part of it."

But she _did_. Marley couldn't logically explain why, but when she let go of the coin it felt like she needed a smoke but didn't have any cigarettes.

Loki just shot her a knowing look and slipped the Eye into his pocket. "As you wish."

After a glance at the clock, Marley got up off of her sofa, deciding that there was no point in going back to sleep if she was going to go to work in an hour anyways. That and the fact that she was dangerously close to kicking them all out after she had decided they could stay. "I'm off to work." Thor and Val looked back at her, seemingly only then remembering that she was there. She slung a coat over herself, deciding she could change into real clothes when she got to the office." _Please_ try not to destroy this place while I'm gone." With that, she left before any of them could drive her further into insanity.

* * *

"You look _horrible_." Janice, as usual, was last into the office and blunt as ever.

"Thank you." Marley grunted, not looking up from her paperwork. It wasn't news to her; she had caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror on the way in. The purpleish bags under her eyes and frizz in her hair weren't exactly flattering. Luckily, Janice took the hint that Marley was not in the mood for her gossip today and went to take a seat at her desk instead.

Besides having to resist falling asleep, the day was going smoothly. Work had always been an escape from real life for Marley, and today was no exception. Only, today 'real life' seemed more like a distant hallucination.

When Janice was approaching her desk, she sat up and tried to look like she wasn't about to pass out. "Marley, I just got off the phone with Wells." Janice looked around precariously before whispering, "you know the guy I talked about on the phone last night?"

Marley gulped.

"He's coming in later for you to take a sketch."

"Okay." Marley couldn't think of anything else to say. She had _completely_ forgotten about the phone call last night, and the full force of it hit her in that moment. There was no way she would be able to agree with this man on what he had seen, and with her disapproval he would be brushed aside by the NYPD without a second thought. How on earth was she going to be able to keep a clear conscious after accusing this poor witness of being crazy?


End file.
